🌍 Evidence from markets with shorter intervals
In the United States, markets such as ERCOT and Southwest Power Pool have long operated with 5-minute pricing. These markets offer a practical reference for how time granularity translates into monetisation.
Shorter intervals have:
▪️Increased the role of energy arbitrage in battery revenues.
▪️Expanded intraday price spreads as solar penetration grows.
▪️Supported rapid battery deployment through frequent, actionable price signals.
Where prices move faster, flexible assets monetise volatility more effectively.
📊 How this is starting to play out in Europe
Europe is earlier in this transition, but the same dynamics are beginning to emerge.
According to Rystad Energy, the move to 15-minute pricing:
▪️Increases battery arbitrage revenues by ~14% on average across Europe, with several attractive investment markets — such as Romania and Poland — performing above this level.
▪️Translates into stronger ROI and IRR for well-optimised storage assets.
This uplift does not come from more capacity or longer duration, but from better timing and sharper price signals.
Independent regulatory cost–benefit analyses commissioned by European TSOs had already anticipated this outcome: finer time resolution would expose intrahour imbalances and increase the value of flexibility. The market is now validating that view.
🔋 Why this matters for investors
Shorter market intervals:
▪️Expose intrahour imbalances previously averaged out under hourly pricing.
▪️Improve price formation for flexibility by reflecting real system conditions.
▪️Reduce value lost through inefficient dispatch and balancing corrections.
The result is structural: by putting a more accurate price on flexibility, the same battery can generate higher revenues under the same physical constraints.
At Nrdeal, we follow how changes in power market design translate into real invesment dynamics across Europe.